Why The Monuments Men Getting Pushed Out of the Oscar Race Showed Its Quality Trust me, I love George Clooney as much as the next guy, but since the day they moved The Monuments Men back to Feb. 7th and out of the 2013 Oscar race I knew it wasnt going to be a film that earns him the critical love he is used to. Many people arent aware of this but this is actually Georges fifth try sitting in the chair as well as on the screen. His first film, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, was liked critically and did a less-than-okay $16m at the B.O. Despite the actor being a huge star and this being his directorial debut, it was easily forgettable. His next picture is what truly got him in the game. Good Night, and Good Luck.,” was slow to many but the Academy as well as the critics were eager to show their infatuation with his sophomore debut. The film focused on legendary news anchor Edward R. Murrow being the first to fight McCarthy’s hunt for Communism. The film was nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture and made back nearly four times it’s budget. Unfortunately Clooney thought a comedy about old school football would be a good idea for his third installment. “Leatherheads” was born, regardless of whether we wanted it or not. Its budget was almost eight times that of “Good Night” and it made about $300k less. And to everyone surprise (not really) it was not nominated for any Oscars. Clooney’s last effort before his next soon to see film was “The Ides of March.” Knowing that you don’t fix something if it isn’t broken he tried his hand at another political drama. This one more fictional, it was about a campaign manager struggling to find the line between right and wrong while running a candidate in the presidential primaries. It featured an incredible cast of Hoffman, Giamatti, Rachel Wood, Tomei, and Clooney himself. The film gave Ryan Gosling another great performance to match “Half Nelson” and “Drive” while his next great feat, “The Place Beyond the Pines,” was just around the corner. The Indie did well at the box office, was liked by critics, and scored an Adapted Screenplay nomination. When the first trailer for “The Monuments Men” landed people were ecstatic. Another Clooney film, an incredible cast, a great and dramatic story, what could go wrong? The only problem I had with the trailer was that it was hard for me to differentiate whether it was predominately a drama or comedy. It was an extremely dramatic topic and hopefully could evoke hundreds of melancholic emotions if done well, but the comedy seemed like such a dominant factor in the trailer. When it got a delayed release date I was upset but had a feeling I knew why it got pressed back. It was said to give it more time on post but if they truly had a shot at the award they would have pushed it. A couple people theorized that it’s because there were so many contenders this year that it would have a better-shot maybe in the 2014 slot. This could have been true but then why does it have a February release? As is almost always the case (and is 100% the case this past year) best picture nominees get released during awards season to try and stay fresh in the minds of voters. Feb 7th to early January is a long time to try and remember a film being a front-runner. The timing of this films debut alone is enough evidence for me to be reluctant of its quality. This, although I back it strongly, is of course my opinion. I won’t truly know how well made the film is until I see it in a week. Make sure to check back for the review!
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:53:13 +0000